it's tuesday morning, december 7th, 2010 as we get a live look at the washington monument. good morning. thank you for joining us. i'm gurvir dhindsa. it is another cold start to the work day. let's check in with gwen tolbart who is in for tucker today. >> we have a cold, windy start

to the day. 0 and 30 degrees at dulles. we have some wind chills. so it feels a lot cooler out there than it actually is. as far as sky conditions are concerned, we'll see clouds this morning but that will give way to partly sunny skies by this afternoon. that snow keeps hitting areas of the far west. we still have morning advisories to tell you about. winter storm warning in effect until 6:00 a.m. wednesday for grant, mineral,

allegheny and pendleton counties. cold and windy today. our high once again only in the low 30s. >> thank you. we want to take a look at our top stories actually possible tax deal on the hill. it extends all tax cuts approved under president bush for the next two years. it also extends unemployment benefits for the unemployed for 13 months. it is not a done deal just yet though. we have a report. >> reporter: con creeding everyone will find something they don't like about the compromise, president obama announced the deal to extend all the bush administration tax cuts for two years in exchange for an extra 13 months of unemployment benefits for millions out of work. >> make no mistake. allowing taxes to go up on all americans would have raised taxes by $3,000 for a typical

american family and that could cost our economy well over a million jobs. >> reporter: the tentative deal breaks his campaign pledge to end the bush tax cuts for the wealthiest households. mr.obama says he will spend the next two years making sure they don't become permanent. >> a permanent extension of these tax cuts who cost us $700 billion at a time when we need to focus on bringing down our deficit. >> reporter: anthony wiener said middle class americans see this deal as punting on third down. house and senate democratic leaders stopped short of endorsing the compromise saying they will discuss it with members of their caucus but republicans were receptive.

the compromise includes a 0% reduction in social security taxes to 2011, an extension of taxes for the recovery act aimed at families and students and a compromise with republicans on the estate tax. >> i'm not willing to let working families across this country become collateral damage. >> reporter: mr. obama says the higher taxes on january 1st could have pushed the country back into recession just as we were beginning to climb out. some of another top stories we're following, newly sworn-in county executive rushern baker wasted little time cleaning house in prince george's county. after taking the oath of office, baker fired all of former county executive jack johnson's top assistants including police chief roberto hylton. also sworn in, new council woman leslie johnson. she and her husband jack johnson still face charges in a

corruption investigation. we'll get our first look at the new interim police chief. he will be formally introduced at a news conference at 10:45 this morning. he previously served as deputy chief. stay with us. we have much more straight ahead. we'll take a look at your cold forecast, your traffic and all your top stories as fox 5 morning news at 4:30 begins now. it is a cold start to your day. it is tuesday, december 7, 2010 as you see the camera shaking outside which means the winds are still with us which will make it feel a lot worse than it actually is. thank you for being here. i'm gurvir dhindsa. tucker is taking the day off but gwen tolbart is in filling in. >> we've had the winds gusty since the weekend but it will end at some point. we have cloudy sky moving in

this morning but we will see improvement by this afternoon. that snow still hitting areas of the far west. they are seeing lots of accumulations out there. we'll talk about that in just a second. we have a winter advisory for you. we have some periods of freezing rain and a winter storm warning for grant, mineral, pendleton counties until 6:00 a.m. on wednesday. 5 to 10 inches in addition to what they've already had and they've already had a foot of snow. and very gusty winds for them. this is an area where they are seeing a lot of poor conditions driving on the roads and visibility reduced. we are dipping down along the mid-atlantic. some temperatures even into the teens to our far west and up to the north of us. we have wind chills as well and wind gusts. winds are gusting up to about 29 miles per hour across our region and we'll see that continuing throughout the

course of the day. for today, a little bit of sunshine. 37degrees only if our daytime high. cold. >> thank you very much. >> let's check in with julie wright for our look at the roads. >> i think the first thing i got to say is just brrr! >> i'm with you. >> exactly. it is chilly out there. we are on dry pavement and don't have anything to report right now as you leave college park headed over towards 270. southbound 95, overnight roadwork still in place south of the icc. and construction on the beltway near 66. still have traffic off at 66 where you can ride the ramps at nutley street. the beltway looks good in each direction at the wilson bridge.

that's a check of your fox 5 on-time traffic. there is a possible tax deal on the hill. president obama is telling taxpayers that everybody will be unhappy about something but at least it is an agreement. sarah simmons joins us live with a look at the details of this. >> reporter: this isn't exactly what the president was looking for but says he was not willing to let working families suffer in the middle of this fight. the president agreed to extend all tax cuts approved under president bush for the next two years. in exchange for that, unemployment benefits will be extended for the long-term unemployed for another 13 months and the agreement cuts payroll taxes by two percentage points. this] the president's campaign pledge to end the bush tax cuts for those households earning more than $215,000 a year. some democrats are accusing the president of caving in to republicans. some democrats are even bowing

to try and derail the deal. now, again, the president says this was not his ideal plan and he will fight to make sure those tax cuts for the wealthiest don't become permanent. >> make no mistake, allowing taxes to go up on all americans would have raised taxes by $3,000 for a typical american family and that could cost our economy well over a million jobs. >> reporter: the senate republican leader mitch mcconnell responding to this proposal saying, quote, i am optimistic the democrats in congress will show the same openness to preventing tax hikes the administration has already shown. house and senate democratic leaders aren't talking much about the deal saying they would discuss it in closed caucus meetings today. president obama says making this compromise with the republicans was more important than continuing a fight that could have gone well into next year. >> sarah simmons reporting for us from our newsroom.

thank you. the change of power in bridge county will be on full display today as we get our first look at the new police chief. mark mcgoth will be introduced at a news conference this morning. he previously served as deputy chief. >> i will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the state of maryland. >> and support the constitution. >> and support the constitution. >> and laws thereof. >> and laws thereof. >> the shake-up in the police department was just one quick move made by new county executive rushern baker who was sworn in on monday. he fired all of jack johnson's top assistants including the fire chief and the director of the county of human resources office. baker wrapped up the day with a

big celebration last night. also sworn in was leslie johnson, the wife of the former executive jack johnson. >> i might not do the same thing to capitalize on a moment of vulnerability. johnson and her husband still face charges in a corruption allegation. elizabeth edwards' bat we'll cancer has tan a turn for the worse. doctors are now giving her just week to live. she has been battling breast cancer since 2004. her family issued a statement saying the disease has spread to her liver and doctors say further treatment would be unproductive. she is said to be with friends and family including mr. edwards at her home in north carolina. one friend who lives in bethesda tells fox 5, edwardss that wageed a battle. >> the cancer had spread to her bones so whether she was

sitting on are standing, she was in pain and yet she persevered. >> elizabeth edwards has faced her own message on facebook. friends say her estranged husband, john edwards, is among the people at ms. edwards bedside. the search is on for a missing girl. the alert is on after police found her mother's body inside a home in salem. police believe she may have been abducted by jeffrey scott

easley. she may be in a 2000 red chevy suv. an attempted abduction along a local road. it happened after a woman stepped off a metrobus and now police are looking for the suspect and a hero. we'll plain that. massive smoke and flames in the heart of downtown baltimore. we'll show you up-close video captured by a witness on the scene. stay with us. we are coming back. mmmm.

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a massive fire rips through downtown baltimore. this youtube video shows the extent of the fire. flames broke out about 4:00 yesterday afternoon in a three- story building in the adult entertainment district known as the block and it spread for five other buildings. the cause of the fire is under investigation. there were no injuries reported. montgomery county police

are asking for your help in finding a man who attacked a woman over the weekend. she was walk ago long viers mill road in wheaton. investigators say the suspect follow the woman off of a metrobus. as fox 5's wisdom martin reports, police also say a complete stranger helped save the woman. >> reporter: this is a composite sketch of the man montgomery county police say attacked a woman in wheaton over the weekend. investigators say saturday night just after 7:00, a woman boarded a metrobus at connecticut avenue and viers mill road. she didn't realize she was being followed. >> the suspect boarded the bus with her at the same stop. she's walking down claridge road. the suspect approached her from behind and grabbed her. >> reporter: before of the suspect could continue with his attack. >> we're very fortunate there was a young man who intervened

and interrupted the assault and when this happened, the suspect fled from the area. >> reporter: the victim called police. the good samaritan had already left the scene. >> we would like this young man who helped this woman out to come forward. we would like to talk to him. we want to thank him and hear what he has to say about the situation. >> reporter: in addition to a possible witness, the suspect may have been captured on video by a metrobus camera. >> we did a composite of the suspect but just having that surveillance footage would enhance it. still ahead, are you tired of the power outages? what pepco will do to help with that. bone-chilling temperatures for some parts of the country not quite used to it.

plus another cold forecast for us too. gwen tolbart is in for tucker and she has that coming up. [ older brother ] hey, that's the last crescent. [ younger brother ] oh, do you want it? yeah. ok, we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light... ...buttery and flaky... this is half. that is not half. guys i have more. [ female announcer ] do you have enough crescents? with cinnabon cinnamon have such a sweet and delicious aroma that my family can't wait to get their hands on them. enjoy cinnabon cinnamon... now in all pillsbury cinnamon rolls.

welcome back. it is a cold and windy start to this day for you. we'll check some with gwen about our forecast in just a second. we want to remind you now about our annual stuff a truck food

drive. it is this friday. you can spread cheer right now by similarly speed cafb to 85944. you will receive a message confirming a $10 donation to the food bank and reply with a yes. we'll be out friday morning at four different giant good locations so come out and join us. >> it is a good cause. >> yes, it is. it is always cold, gwen. it never fails. >> this time of year, you know. we got a little spoiled as we moved through october and early november with the warm conditions. now, the cold weather is here and we don't know how to adjust to it. cold today and windy. let's get a look at where we're headed. temperatures very much well below seasonal and that is how they have been into the course of the last few days or so, not getting much of a break there at all. the winds gusty. another day with those strong winds t will feel colder than it actually is.

here is where we stand now with our temperatures. 30 at national airport. 25 at gaithersburg. 25 at martinsburg. 27degrees in baltimore this hour. these temperatures, as i said, well below seasonal. but as we move through the course of the day, we really won't warm up all that much more so be prepared for that. wind gusts from 16 to 29-mile per hour wind gusts right now. winds are very, very strong and creating some really significant wind chills. sixteen mile per hour wind gusts at manassas. you factor in the wind and the temperatures and this is what it feels like when you step outside. you want to gauge yourself by this and dress accordingly. martinsburg feels like a very chilly 11 degrees only and 14 degrees at frederick. 22 at manassas. we've got some clouds and we'll see clearing skies into the afternoon with just a few clouds lingering through. we will get some sunshine.

not going to warm us up very much. along areas of the west, we are still dealing with some snow and we'll see that start to crank up again into the course of the day. we still have warnings and advisories in effect. winter storm warnings for areas across far western maryland and into parts of the mountains of virginia where we have an advisory in effect. they've already received up to a foot or more of snowfall. we are talking an additional 5 to 12 inches of snowfall. the advisory is in effect until 7:00 p.m. tonight and some pockets of freezing rain in there as well. still windy and cold for us. that is not going to change much. we'll get some improvement as we move through into wednesday. ridge of high pressure starts to move a little bit closer to us. those winds will start to diminish. dry so far throughout the week but still very much on the chilly side. julie, how are people doing on the roads this morning? >> so far, so good. no accidents to report for those traveling between the top

stretch of of the beltway as you work your way between college park and bethesda. on 270, at speed continuing down towards the truck scales from hyattstown. you are going to find traffic moving at speed now that the roadwork has cleared off the beltway here at 66. lanes are open as you continue in from nutley street to the beltway. your lanes are open if you are traveling on the beltway itself between tysons corner and your exits down in springfield. that's a check of your fox 5 on-time traffic. >> thank you. it is cold here but we're in the the only ones dealing with harsh temperatures. december is ushering cold temperatures even in areas where some people are not used to it. as ainsley earhart shows us, people from chicago to florida are not exactly enjoying this winter blast. >> reporter: upstate new yorkers are already getting a workout shoveling a half foot of newly fallen snow. >> this is awful. i have to make my son to the doctor's and it took me and hour to shovel all of this. >> typical buffalo weather.

we got to get used to it. >> reporter: lake erie is being blamed for dumping several inches of snow in pennsylvania. some areas could see high winds and as much as two feet once it is all over. several people in ohio spent the evening relearning how to shovel out of the driveway. >> third time of the day. >> this is my second time out. i figured i would get it taken care of. >> reporter: temperature is all relative with floridians complaining about the cold with temperatures creeping down at night. freeze warnings have been inned and people are pulling out their warm clothes reluctantly. >> the weather is just ridiculous. >> double layered actually because she is little and i don't want hormone replacement -- her to get sick. >> we are concerned about the vulnerability of our homeless. >> reporter: chicagoans battled single digits for the first time this season. it took a lot of layers back th

>> you got to get used to it. >> reporter: natural gas futures climbed to a four-month high on monday prompted by at rival of the cold weather across the -- by the arrival of the cold weather across the country. ainsley earhart, fox news. pepco unveiled a five-year plan to improve day to day reliability including trimming trees and moving certain cables underground. there has been a massive public outcry during winter snowstorms and severe thunderstorms. a never-ending saga involving albert haynesworth. he didn't play on sunday. should the redskins cut their losses and part with big al?

we'll hear two different options coming up next.

in our consumer alert, burger king is laying off employees. the number two fast food chain has new owners and they are dismissing the workers to try to catch up with mcdonald's. burger king has been seeing sales decline by about 2% over the past year. mcdonald's has seen a #% growth. aol is taking steps to get closer to a possible merger with yahoo. aol is exploring a break-up. the break-up who split aol's content and access to businesses. sources say the plan is in the exploratory stage and. >> hue yahoo has not been contacted. the loss to the giants for the redskins seems small

compared to the latest drama for albert haynesworth. his attitude and work ethic are being called into question. dave feldman has more. >> reporter: albert haynesworth is becoming a distraction again. albert said he was sick on friday, arrived late and did not practice according to the coach. these or two very strong-willed men and it appears redskins park is becoming too small for both of them. >> they choose to sit me, they choose to sit me. this is their organization. i'm just a piece. >> i know you guys want to ask the question 50tive aren't ways so we can talk about it more in detail. we'll talk more about it on wednesday. i can be a little bit more thorough and tell you about how our conversation went. >> i think he put the team first because he is not going to let one guy or one person

come in here and destroy what we have. i think you put the team first when you think about the future and the things we got to do. if you don't practice, you don't play. that is putting the team first. >> reporter: to delve deeper, we welcome in jason reid at redskins park who cover this is team thoroughly for the "washington post." if you are not going to play him and he is a distraction, why are the redskins keeping him around? >> i'll give you 35.6 million reasons why they keep him around. that is the amount he will be paid at the end of this season for only two years worth of work. i think they would like to try to recoup some of this investment and the only way to do that is if they can trade him for something. they were unable to trade him this year because mike shanahan did not get what he wanted. i have to believe at this point it is such a day minute issuing return on the investment that the only thing you can get now

is something, be it a six-round draft pick. i can't even envision someone giving them a five at this point. the reason albert haynesworth is on this team is $35.6 million. that is the reason. >> you were like angry. who is more important, disciplining him or beating the giants and you thought it really hurt their team's chances of beating the giants by putting 92 on the bench. >> i'm always angry on game day because there is no one i describe more than the opponent especially if it is an eastern divisional opponent. if we are all about winning, what gives his team the best chance to win. it wasn't the three guys he started up front. he is better than all three of those guys. was al wrong? absolutely. he has to adhere to the rules. it sounds like mike shanahan is not in charge of the football program. if monday yais stackettor and

he can't do what he wants to do, we are back -- if money is the problem and he can't do what he wants to do, we are back to the two-headed monster. >> he probably should have cut him in week one or week two or whenever this started. >> i hear you but in terms of the money that is involved and the dollars, i just don't think they could stomach just cutting him and letting him go sign elsewhere where he wanted to be. i think they would have felt that thats with a reward. i hear what you're saying. >> now at 5-7, they are not mathematically eliminated but it is not going to happen, i just people are just playing for spots. this team is rebuilding. they say it is better than they were last year with zorn. are you still okay with the progress at 5-7? >> no, i'm not. the areas in which i saw

progression early on have now stymied. they are at a stalemate. the quarterback play and performance at a stalemate. can't tackle being can't block. what progression do you see? maybe i need to look ate different film. >> reporter: with four games left and you cover this team and i assume you are going to cover them next year because you did a good job. will next year's roster look totally different from what we're looking at right now. >> all that stuff that was just said, all that is true. i think there could be as many as 0 new players. the bottom line is no matter how many new players they have, unless they are doing things that will put the players in a position to succeed, it won't matter. >> and just to recap, albert haynesworth will be on the team until the end of the season? >> at this point, i believe so. this is a fluid situation. i think that anything could happen but i do believe at this point